I'm looking for an amazing, maybe a little bit weird, place for two friends to have a 1-night getaway within 90 minutes of Austin, Texas. [more inside]
posted by amelioration
on Feb 16, 2015 -
4 answers

My husband is going to a bachelor party in Austin. There will be a trip to the strip club. I have no personal problem with him going (though he's not very excited about it). The problem is that I just watched Nicholas Kristof's documentary on sex trafficking in the US. [more inside]
posted by oryelle
on Feb 9, 2015 -
22 answers

We bought a small three bedroom/one bathroom house (about 1,050 sq. feet) in Austin about a year and a half ago and we're looking to do a significant upgrade in several months, upwards of $100,000. [more inside]
posted by vakker
on Jan 25, 2015 -
5 answers

We're going to be in Austin for several days before and including Christmas Day. What is there to do on Christmas Day, including places to eat (bonus for vegetarian) - i.e., what's open?
posted by Jackson
on Dec 19, 2014 -
3 answers

Where are the best trivia nights in Austin, Texas? I am looking for something that is fun, but treated seriously and with thoughtful, wide-ranging, difficult questions. [more inside]
posted by Falconetti
on Dec 16, 2014 -
8 answers

I am interested in going out to see live music in Austin but I'm not plugged into any groups who seem up on the scene right now. Who are the good bands? what is interesting in Austin music right now? what are the best venues and why? I'm open to any kind of good music. This is free-form, go nuts. Thanks.
posted by jayder
on Nov 22, 2014 -
13 answers

I was diagnosed with bulging L4/L5 discs with spondylolysis and stenosis. Doctor convinced me to get epidural / facet injections. After the shots, I started getting very bad sciatica ( I think its sciatica ). I could hardly stand in the shower. Before the shots I was running half marathons. Now I can't run at all. I can't lift heavy things. Only walking makes it feel better. Its been six months with no improvement. The quality of my life is way worse than it was before. What happened post injection? Can anyone recommend a good back doctor / orthopedist in Austin?
posted by jasondigitized
on Sep 29, 2014 -
5 answers

I lived in Austin in the late 80's and the early 90's. Left and never really went back. I have only one friend left in the area (and he, technically, now lives in Round Rock, though he works in the city). We'll be visiting for a wedding and I'd like to know what are the good restaurants (particularly breakfast and vegetarian) and the decent craft cocktail bars that are not hold-overs from the late 80's/early 90's. In other words, "no Kerbey Lane suggestions, please". Bonus points for a good hotel.
posted by crush-onastick
on Sep 1, 2014 -
7 answers

So, my brother had a major fire in his apartment complex (fortunately for him it was on the other side of the building), and his building was condemned. He needs to move immediately. He's looking for a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment in one of: Manor, Hyde Park, or North Campus.
He's a grad student, so that's the sort of budget he's working with.
Thanks for your help!
posted by persona au gratin
on Aug 25, 2014 -
8 answers

Does this exist in Austin? I'm looking for a family-owned furniture store that sells name-brand furniture for less than the name-brand store. There's a place in the Dallas suburbs that does this. They have very little inventory, but they have the catalogs for places like Ashley, La-Z-Boy, and Bassett. Customers typically look around at those stores and then go to the mom-and-pop shop to order from the catalog. If you've seen this in the Austin area (Round Rock to San Marcos), please tell me where!
posted by erloteiel
on Aug 3, 2014 -
2 answers

Our cat is terrified of strangers to the point of serious violence. (We have both owned reasonably shy and standoffish cats before. This one is worse than any other cat we've known — the bites and scratches he gives people who pick him up are sometimes not just warning nips but serious attacks. We are almost certain he was abused before we adopted him, for this and other reasons.) We need to find a vet in Austin, TX where we can take him. We have already been asked not to return to Animal Trustees, the discount vet clinic in town, because he clawed a vet tech there, so we are worried that he will be unwelcome other places as well. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone
on Jun 7, 2014 -
18 answers

My company has offered me a weekend at a B&B in the Texas Hill Country in thanks for 10 years of service. Looking on the web there appear to be thousands of them, with wildly scattered reviews depending on which review site one chooses. Having had mixed experiences with B&B's, I thought I'd turn to the green for suggestions. If you've been to one in that area that you would recommend (or steer us away from), please write below.
posted by Runes
on May 16, 2014 -
3 answers

I'm driving roundtrip next week from KS to TX, and along the way I'll be passing through these cities: Oklahoma City, OK and Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Medina, TX. In or nearby any of these cities, do you know about a fabulously awesome and dirt cheap nursery, open on Saturdays, that sells succulents/cacti and potentially other houseplants/exotics as well? I'm not interested in outdoor stock (trees/grasses/annuals/etc). [more inside]
posted by vegartanipla
on Mar 2, 2014 -
6 answers

I'm going to SXSW for the first time this year, and want to know if any of y'all have any tips? I know the general thing to do is rsvp for concerts/parties, so I've been doing that to a few that another friend going heard about, but I'd love more suggestions and advice! I'm only getting in Friday, but feel free to talk about stuff going on all week so others can see it.
posted by DynamiteToast
on Feb 27, 2014 -
4 answers

Here in New England, there are tons of community theatre organizations of all sizes & quality levels; almost every town has a "Springfield Community Players" or something like that. I can think of dozens within a half hour of my home in MA. A theatre friend has moved to Austin, TX, and can't seem to find any such organizations at all within at least an hour radius. [more inside]
posted by jeffjon
on Feb 26, 2014 -
9 answers

This last day of ACL Fest was just cancelled due to flooding... and surely some last-minute shows are being set up at bars, hotels, homes, schools, for today and tonight! Know of any gigs today or tonight, with some of the bands that were set to play?? [more inside]
posted by swlabr
on Oct 13, 2013 -
5 answers

I'm a broke 30-year-old pre-everything MtF butch in Austin, TX. There's a chance I'll be coming the rest of the way out and trying to transition soon. I'll need some hormones, all the hair removal, and a bit of a community. [more inside]
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______.
on Aug 2, 2013 -
9 answers

I spoke last week with a close friend who recently found out -- in an interesting way -- that she has this manic depression illness, aka bipolar disorder. Knowing that I've dealt with it myself over the years, she asked me if I have found any helpful F2F support groups here in Austin. My answer -- I have not. She's looking for a group to join, a place to meet, talk with, support and gain support from a community of people suffering this thing but willing to do the work to kick free, such as they are able to. She's open to starting a group herself, and/or even hosting it in her South Austin home, if there are not currently any good meetups available. [more inside]
posted by dancestoblue
on Jul 16, 2013 -
5 answers

My partner and I are headed to San Antonio at the end of July so that he can go to a conference and I can visit Texas for the first time. We like cities, and nature, and are especially interested in how people organize and live together in whatever communities they've got (ie. social & political history and sociology). Other happy holiday finds have included biking Montreal's The Main and La Chine Canal, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago and taking 3 kinds of trains to get to a hilltop overlooking Vienna. [more inside]
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve
on Jul 11, 2013 -
12 answers

Through work, I have struck up a correspondence with an extraordinary translator and writer located in Austin, TX. Advancing age, declining health, and (from what I have gleaned) lack of local family members have conspired to put him in a nursing home. He's mentioned a craving for better food -- specifically for French canapés. Is there any French bistro or gourmet market in Austin where I could arrange for some beautifully prepared treats to be delivered to him?
posted by scody
on Jun 30, 2013 -
7 answers

My husband will be in Austin for business next week, and needs suggestions for both barbeque and Tex-Mex. He's not really looking for a polished dining experience; he's looking for seriously excellent grub. Thanks!
posted by Specklet
on Jun 12, 2013 -
33 answers

I've been to both these cities before, so this time I want to explore some local fave places and grok the resident hipster vibe. Please point me in the direction of the Dolores Park of Portland/Austin. [more inside]
posted by mokudekiru
on May 30, 2013 -
4 answers

My best pal and I will be road tripping to Austin and New Orleans this July. We've had a bit of trouble finding budget accommodations that don't have 20+ negative reports on the Bedbug Registry -- especially in NOLA. Any hotel/motel/dorm wizards have suggestions? PLUS where should we go in Austin and NOLA to satisfy our many cultural/gastronomic itches? Snowflakes inside! [more inside]
posted by Miss T.Horn
on May 26, 2013 -
12 answers

Zillow predicts just a 0.1% rise in home values over the next year in Austin, and actually predicts depreciation in several areas near the center of the city. What's going on? [more inside]
posted by Mila
on Apr 26, 2013 -
8 answers

I've used AskMeFi for travel advice before and it's been invaluable. This time I'm planning a road trip from Gainesville, FL to Austin, TX around Halloween to coincide with a music festival I attend each year.
I've been to the United States (NYC, San Francisco, and the Pacific Northwest) many times but never to the south – with the exception of Florida if that counts. Do you have any suggestions, places to definitely see, places to definitely avoid? More below if useful... [more inside]
posted by stackhaus23
on Apr 15, 2013 -
10 answers

A sweet mama cat and her kitten were abandoned at a friend's house outside of Austin. I agreed to foster them for a bit, but we're going on week three, and tensions are building between the fosters and my two regular kitties. Bonus complication: Mama cat has now gone into heat (I think). Yikes. [more inside]
posted by pantarei70
on Apr 8, 2013 -
6 answers

Partner and I are deciding which of his grad school offers to accept/which new town to move to next year: Austin, TX, Athens, GA or Tucson, AZ currently. What resources/methods can I use to help me figure out if I will be able to find a job in these places? [more inside]
posted by dahliachewswell
on Mar 3, 2013 -
14 answers

I will be visiting Austin, Texas for work in April. I'm thinking of taking a weekend break before I return to Europe. I'm looking for suggestions for somewhere relaxing to spend a few days near the city, preferably Texan in flavour.
posted by Grinder
on Feb 14, 2013 -
16 answers

So our planned January trip got bumped to March. I knew enough to not try to book anything around SXSW, but even 2 weeks after, there is very limited hotel availability and very high prices. [more inside]
posted by JoanArkham
on Feb 9, 2013 -
22 answers

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